March of the Seals: Our Ceremony, in Music

Our ceremony is nearly planned and I can't wait to share the details with you all! For now though, while we put on the finishing touches and get everything approved, I am going to get things started by sharing our ceremony music.

Through the church in which we will be wed, we were put in contact with Mrs. L, the lovely music coordinator/organist. She's is a kind older woman who, upon calling her with only a vague idea of music selections, kindly proceeded to sing the options for me. Seriously. It was with her perfectly pitched "la da daaaas" and "da di duuuums" that I chose most of our music.

Prelude: She assured me that she would play several appropriate selections during the seating of the guests. As I had no interest in hand-selecting 30-45 minutes worth of music, I was perfectly content in completely relinquishing the control.

Seating of the mothers: During the seating of the mothers, we decided on "Air on G" by Bach.

Video via YouTube

Bridesmaid Processional: Given my large bridal party,  Mrs. L informed me that "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (also by Bach) would probably be the best choice. The song is longer, affording plenty of time for my 10 beautiful ladies to make their way down the aisle.

Video via YouTube

Procession of the Bride (aka me): Very early on, I knew I wanted to make my grand entrance to Pachelbel's "Canon in D". Given that we are only hiring Mrs. L (who is an organist), I was a bit concerned that the song would sound funny without string instruments. Thankfully, YouTube quelled some of those fears for me as it seems "Canon in D" on an organ is hardly rare and equally beautiful.

 Video via YouTube

Communion Music: I've given Mrs. L the creative freedom to play selections as she sees fit.

Offeratory Music: When we present flowers to Mary "Ave Maria" will be played.

Video via YouTube

Recessional: Finally, we will all making our exit to Handel's "Allegro Maestoso" from the Water Suite.

Video via YouTube

Whew! So that's our ceremony in music. I'm so thankful I had Mrs. L to guide me through everything otherwise I would've been totally clueless and, more than likely, played no part in choosing our music.

How'd you choose the music for your ceremony? Did someone help you out?

Mr. Seal: A Man of Many (Yankee) Hats

Ugh, I'm fighting one of the nastiest colds in the history of nasty colds, but if one good thing has come of this beast...it's been my productivity. I know sickness and productivity don't normally go hand-in-hand, but I am one busy bee and this has forced me to stay home and take it easy. ("Takin' it easy" for me = working on my DIY projects in my PJ's all day.)

As perhaps you recall, Mr. Seal is a huge Yankees fan; as such, he's often seen sporting a Yankee hat from his (not so varied) collection:

Yes. Several of them are identical.

That hats in action.

Anyhow, about a week ago, while discussing our grand entrance for our reception, we somehow decided Mr. Seal needed a fancy, blinged-out Yankees cap. (It really wouldn't be a very Mr. Seal-like wedding if an NY hat didn't at least make an appearance)

The Sealman really loved the idea and we immediately hopped online to find the perfect hat for me to bejewel. Mr. Seal and his dudes are wearing black tuxes with champagne colored vests, so he was drawn to a hat with goldish-colored accents and an oversized logo (perfect for crystal-izing).

Hat via NewEra

I take sales as signs and this guy was discounted so we snatched one up! After purchasing some varied Swarovski hot-fix crystals (10ss and 16ss) for my Darice Hot-Fix Applicator wand and waiting a few days for all of the goods to arrive, it was time to get down to business. 

I really like the hot-fix tool I have, but I suggest you let it warm up longer than the suggested two minutes - anything less than five minutes, for me, resulted in the wand not picking up the crystals properly. Oh! And once the tip is hot...IT IS HOT. While attempting to bejewel AND partake in the Weddingbee Post-a-Thon I managed to burn my index finger somethin' fierce - so use with caution :)

 

I'm also really glad I bought two different sized crystals as this greatly helped me fill in all the pesky gaps within the logo! The only downside was having to switch out the tip for the applicator/waiting for it to heat up each time I wanted to use a different sized crystal. Perhaps there's a more efficient way to go about doing this, but I didn't find it to be annoying enough to rethink the method.

The process was fairly time-consuming, but I found it relaxing. After about 30-45 minutes I had made some progress.

And a couple hours later, my masterpiece was complete!

Despite my loyalty to my San Francisco Giants, I am really happy we were able to find a way to work in something (even if that something is a Yankees hat) that is so very Mr. Seal. And who knows? Maybe I'll bling out this (lonely and squished) hat from the Sealman's collection next ;)

How is your groom putting his mark on his wedding-day outfit? Have you bejeweled anything for the wedding?

The Seal Shower Recap

A while ago, I shared with you the adorable bridal shower invites that were carefully hand-crafted by MOH Brandi. Well, the amazing shower has since come and gone (in the blink of an eye), and is ready for recappin'! The event was hosted by Mama Seal and Brandi and I couldn't be more grateful for their generosity and effort :)

Anyhow, I'll let the photos do most of the talking!

I was fortunate that my out-of-town bridesmaid Carina, despite being sick, was able to make it to the shower. I started the day by picking her up from the airport. After some breakfast and some gettin' ready, we were all set to go!

I arrived to find lots of my family and friends hanging in the main hall of my aunt's community center (the location of the shower)—they were all laughing and enjoying some yummy food.

After stealing a plate of food, I table-hopped and mingled with all of the lovely ladies. 

And then made my way into the other room to take a gander at all of the décor.

I was overwhelmed by the gifts!

The adorable favors were little pots with plantable seed paper (shaped like a butterfly). I can't wait to plant mine!

They know me well and decorated the place with lots and lots of flowers.

After getting some food in our bellies, MOHs Brandi and Meghan decided it was time to encourage some group activities and thus the games began! The first was a game in which the guests were asked to match celebrities with their partners. The second was a word scramble game containing words relevant to Mr. Seal and me—one of the scrambles was "denweigbde"...any guesses as to what that could be? Hehe.

 BMs Megan and Sarah workin' away.

The last one involved dressing me up in an apron with tons of gadgets attached—I walked around the room for two minutes, after which the guests were asked to recall and jot down as many of the items as possible.

Oh, I forgot about the veil! My Auntie Ali and her daughter-in-law (my BM Andrea) totally made that bad boy for me from some spare tulle, faux flowers and Swarovski crystals. It was pretty ginormous and I felt a little silly at first, but I grew into it and really appreciated the time they put into it ;)

It was then time to open some gifts, so we all moved into the living room area.

I don't have a ton of pictures of me opening gifts (which is probably for the best because I make weird faces), but there was lots of smiling, waving and hugging involved.

MOH/shower co-host Brandi had an adorable hoodie made for me.

After some more hanging out...

The beautiful FSIL/BM Maria and me

Me with my lovely friends Clare and Veronica

Me with my gorgeous cousins Jetzabel, Alisha and Janell

BM Sarah, MOH Meghan, MOH Brandi and BM Megan being major goofs.

My sweet cousin Christina and me

....it was time for some people to go so we took a group shot.

And a bridal party photo.

BMs Tracy, Maria, Carina, Megan, Seal, MOH Meghan, MOH Brandi, Andrea and Sarah (Whew!)

Quite a few friends and family members hung out after the shower had ended to enjoy a few drinks and some of my Auntie Ali's delicious enchiladas. Even the Sealman and some other male relatives joined us for the post-shower festivities!

My cousin/GM John-Michael lookin' pwetty with the Sealman

The day, though gone too quickly, was...magical. To be surrounded by so many of the people I hold so near to my heart was more than wonderful. Many of the guests had to travel quite a distance to be present, but travel they did—and for that and their continual support, I am forever grateful. 

I am a lucky girl.

Have you had your shower yet? How much fun did you have?!

Baby Talk: Kids or No Kids?

...and I'm not talking about adult-only receptions.

Getting married digs up a lot of questions. You know what I am talking about—when's the big day? How many guests? When are you having kids? What are your colors?

Yeah. They always sneak that kids one in there, don't they? Sneaky sneaky.

Though I personally don't mind the question at all, I do think it's a bit presumptive and the ensuing answer is often complicated. Assuming we do want children, deciding when we want them is a toughie to answer. I've often heard that there is no "right" time to start poppin' out (or adopting) babies, but I do think there are better times than others.

Mr. Seal and I are (very thankfully) in agreement on the wanting kids front. We both want children. Although he'd be happy waiting a decade to start trying, I'm in a pinch more of a hurry (which I'll explain in a moment). We've found a happy medium and agree that we will surely wait until we are stable in our careers and savings before attempting to conceive. Sounds fair, eh?

I've always known I wanted kids but with the more recent presence of my little niece, I've come to realize that I can trust myself as a caregiver. Being among the youngest in my extended family, I didn't babysit often and therefore a small part of me always doubted whether I could be trusted to hold an infant or safely feed a toddler. With a ton more experience under my belt, I now realize that those old fears were a bit irrational - I'll surely make mistakes but I will be a good mom.

Anyway, now let me try and explain why I don't want to wait forever.

Mama Seal had me when she was 36. Has this changed our mother-daughter dynamic any? No. Not in the slightest. In fact, I think I've mentioned quite a few times how close we are so my "rush" has nothing to do with feeling "too old" to parent.

Really this has everything to do with grandparents. I want to afford my children the opportunity to really get to know my parents and Mr. Seal's mama as they are such important figures in our lives. I never got to meet my maternal grandparents, and as I've mentioned before, not knowing them has been strange for me - like I missed out on something really important.

The same reasoning holds true for our parents. I want them to be able to watch their grandkids grow up...and waiting ten years would significantly cut that time.

Anyway, I know I've tapped into a pretty personal subject, but for those willing to share, I'm interested in your thoughts on children. Are you and your SO planning on raising any kids? If so, have you discussed how long you'd, ideally, like to wait until tossing little ones into the equation? 

A Bee's Life: Seal Edition

I'll admit I've drafted a couple of (slightly inferior) versions of my "A Bee's Life" post over the last couple months but with almost 5 months of 'bee bloggin' behind me...I finally feel like now is right. Plus, Magic's fabulous post yesterday totally inspired me. I love that lady.

So, my dearest and most wonderful hive, let's do this.
 
How Did I Find Weddingbee?
I came across the 'bee pretty early into our engagement while researching save-the-dates. I can't be sure of my exact Google search terms...but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something along the lines of "awesome save the dates" Yeah. I am that person who uses arbitrary adjectives in my interweb searches.

Anyhoo. Whatever the silly search terms were, my interest was piqued by Mrs. Pomegranate's awesome save the dates. I didn't quite understand why she called herself Pomegranate though...or why anyone else referred to themselves by goofy names but I bookmarked the page nonetheless.

I kind of forgot about the 'bee for a couple of months but Google eventually led me back to one of Mrs. Scissors' posts. This time, I was determined to figure the site out. After a couple hours of research, I discerned that the monikers were alter-egos and that you had to fight tough odds to earn a name and be accepted as a Bee. Fight odds? Write? I was in!

My Application Story
I started my blog, as many others before me, for the purpose of applying to be a Weddingbee blogger. Though I majored in Creative Writing in college and was the Editor of my high school's literary magazine, I simply fell out of writing after school. During that unfortunate gap, I incessantly felt as though a big chunk of my brain (and even cheesier - my heart) wasn't being utilized. I missed writing and blogging helped fill that dark void. Plus, I was getting amazing feedback from friends and family on Facebook, so I figured I was doing something right.

After reaching the 8-months-to-go mark, I sent in my application. I found the "A Bee's Life" series right after (seriously, like 20 minutes after) I sent in my app and I'll admit that some of the other entries fuh-reaked me out. My application was a simple 1-page word document—no photos, no seven paragraph responses, no color (no amazing song parodies).

I held my breath for four weeks and eventually convinced myself that blogging for my intimate following on my own blog was fulfilling enough and that once my rejection letter came...I wouldn't cry.

Then, something amazing happened. As I mentioned in my intro post, I was watching TV one weekday morning when the acceptance e-mail from Pengy showed up in my inbox. What I didn't mention was that this was a few days after Mama Seal's scary emergency surgery and that the much-needed good news still nearly brought me to tears.

My Advice to Potential Bees
I agree with others that the quality of writing is key. That's not to say your grammar and spelling has to be perfect, but your topics should be thought-provoking and your voice should be engaging. Writing for an audience is like giving a speech or presentation - picture everyone naked. Errr, I mean...don't let them fall asleep!

Write at least 3 TIMES A WEEK and have at least 15 entries. Seriously dudes and dudettes - your blog will most probably get overlooked if you don't meet the minimum requirements, so meet them!

Also, this is solely my opinion, so take it for what it's worth: put more time into making your blog amazing than into writing a groundbreaking application. When the day is done, your interesting blog entries will speak much louder than your 45-slide power point presentation. (I'm not knocking PP presentations - I'm just sayin...) Oh, and I could be wrong, but I often wonder if Pengy and her application crew would seriously even read a 15-page application when they likely have many others to read through.

Being a Bee
I'm going to be in honest - blogging for the 'bee has totally psyched me out. I sometimes feel my posts are unworthy of being presented as reading material for this spectacular community and have let this occasionally get the best of me. I'm learning to accept that not every post is going to blogger's gold, but the stage fright takes some getting used to!

On the flip side, the members of this warm community (you awesome hive members and my fellow blogging bees) are warm, welcoming and amazingly supportive - and I am loving every minute of this blog journey. Every comment I receive, even those in disagreement with me, are absolutely welcome and I am so thankful that any of you even take the time to read what silly ol' Miss Seal has to say! I wish I could invite each and every one of you to be a guest at the Seal wedding, but I suppose recaps will have to suffice ;) 

A Little Bit O' This & That: DIY Project Update

Alternatively titled, "Things I Stole From Other Bees"

Things have been busy over here at studio Seal, hive. We've reached double digits and kicked into DIY high gear! I mentioned a couple posts ago that I am navigating my way through wedding planning/blogging time management in favor of spending more time with my groom-to-be, and I feel like I'm doing a pretty dandy job so far.

Anyhow, onto the good stuffs.

First up is our lace-wrapped votive candles. I borrowed this project from the ever-so-lovely Miss Macarons and I couldn't be happier with the results. Not only was it easy as pie and quick to boot, it was affordable too! I followed Miss Macs tutorial to the "T" and purchased my candles from QuickCandles and my lace trim off of eBay. Between the candles and the lace, I spent about $100 for 144 candles (about five per table).

I think the hint of gold in the lace will tie together nicely with our table numbers.

The beautiful MOH Brandi assisted me in the candle endeavor while she was in town (all the way from Delaware) to host my bridal shower. I wuv her.

Next is another one from Miss Macs (what can I say, the girl inspires me!) I was in love with her adorable cocktail flags and decided it was a project I wanted to tackle. I enlisted the help of FSIL Tracy—she designed the flags for me and helped cut all of the paper. Check out Miss Macarons' post for a DIY breakdown ;)

 We made two different kinds of stirrers—long and short...in both tan and ivory.

All finished and packed away.

Lastly, I've been working on a bit of our signage. I really loved Mrs. Tartlet's vintage-looking chalkboard and Mrs. Sloth's DIY chalkboards, so I decided to merge the two. I picked up a gold frame from Goodwill for $3.99, bought a can of chalkboard spray paint from Michael's with a 40% off coupon and voila! Pretty sign for our ceremony!

 She's ready for some chalk!

What have you been working on? Have you borrowed inspiration from fellow brides?

A Little Bit O' This & That: My Wedding Day Accessories

Well, now that you've seen my headpiece and veil and my shoes—I suppose I should share with you all the rest of my wedding day accessories, eh?

I know, I know...I've yet to even show you my gown, but I think that may be coming soon. Just maybe.

Anyhow.

As far as jewelry is concerned, in addition to my engagement ring and the yet-to-be-found wedding band, I plan on wearing a necklace and earrings. Whether I will be donning a bracelet is undecided - perhaps if Mr. Seal buys me one as a wedding present the decision will be made more easily. Juuuust kidding, kids - I'm not that overt with my gift hints! :P

The earrings I will be wearing were given to me by Mama Seal for Christmas last year. She knew I had been looking for pearl and diamond drop earrings for the wedding and she completely took it upon herself to find, purchase and gift the perfect pair.

I love them. They are from Macy's but appear to be discontinued.

As for my necklace? I thought about going bare-necked or with pearls, but ultimately decided on another, more sentimental option. Mama Seal has always referred to me as her "turtle dove," and one Christmas we both independently decided to give the other a dove necklace. She had herself a good chuckle and a bit of a cry when she opened the sterling silver dove necklace I had given her - I had no idea why the gift was chuckle-worthy until she handed me my present. Inside the beautifully wrapped box was a white gold and diamond peace dove necklace - clearly Mama Seal had outdone me in the gift department, but the fact that both of us had the same gift idea on the same Christmas was evidence of our mother-daughter synchronicity.

So anyway, on my wedding day I will wear the same necklace I wear every day - the dove pendant from my mama.

The necklace is also from Macy's and also appears to have vanished from their website.

Lastly, my insanely talented cousin Jenna of thenestedpearl made and gave me a handmade purse and garter. I'm not going to show you the garter just yet, but I'll totally share the absolutely lovely wedding-day clutch.

Champagne, dusty pink and some bling? She knows me so well ;)

That about does it on the accessories front - I suppose I'm keeping it fairly simple.

What accessories do you have? How'd you decide on your jewelry?

Shoes it or Lose it: Choo is it.

I've got some excellent news, hive! After leaving the Nordstrom shoe department (heartbroken) without my Jimmy Choos a couple of weeks ago, there has been a favorable change of fortune.

As you may recall, the store didn't have my size and the online Jimmy Choo site was also sold out of my desired size/color combo - this left me anxious, shoeless and desperately pining! I knew there was a Choo store within our local Bloomingdale's so I called ahead and inquired about their availability - I was informed that they too did not have my shimmery babies in stock but that they could be ordered with no issue. Woohoo!

Then the news kept getting better. In my last shoe post, I mentioned that Mama Seal works for Macy's. And as luck would have it, Macy's owns Bloomingdale's - that 20% discount I talked about works within the Bloomingdale's Choo store too! Pretty shoes at a discounted rate? YES PLEASE! The only catch was that I had to exercise some patience as we waited for her new discount card to arrive.

And as soon as it did we headed to the store, ordered my shoes and then...I waited some more. Until yesterday when the UPS man delivered my precious darlings. I present to you my champagne Jimmy Choo "Isabel" pumps!

Sigh. I love them with all of my little heart! Oh, and did I mention that they are seriously comfortable? I'm used to rockin' at least 3 1/2 inch heels so these little less-than-three inch babies should do me just fine ;)

I'm in good company on my glittery Choo train...I noticed Miss Sparkler's beautiful wedding-day footwear recently arrived too!

Can't afford brand new beauties? Check out the Weddingbee classifieds, kids. Seriously. You'll find some gently used gems - I noticed my same Choos (albeit in a smaller size) are up for grabs at half-their retail value here.

Do you have your shoes yet? Are they all you've dreamed about?

Wedding Planning is Short, Marriage is Forever.

I apologize off the bat as this is one of those wordy posts with no pictures.

Mr. Seal and I have been engaged for over a year and half and before he proposed, we were together for only a year. So, if you've done the math, you'd notice that more than half of our relationship has been spent engaged (and thus wedding planning). That's a whole lot of engagement and wedding talk, folks.

As I've previously discussed, it was much to my surprise that I embraced wedding planning so whole-heartedly. The appeal in getting married to the Sealman when he proposed was truly in marrying the love of my life and beginning our life together, not so much in arranging the big party and wearing the pretty ring (though I considered both to be perks). It is with much sadness and disappointment that I admit that I've really managed to lose sight of what's important over the last couple of months.

Obviously things pick up the nearer the wedding approaches (more vendor meetings, bridal showers, DIY projects), but I don't think there is any excuse for ever making my future husband feel emotionally "neglected."

Yes, hive, those were his words.

After some initial denial and misguided anger, I realized something heartbreaking—he was absolutely right. As of late, our usual snuggling-on-the-couch time has been replaced by me sitting with a laptop in my face responding to e-mails, blogging, or researching my next wedding project while he attempts to have a meaningful conversation with me. It takes me at least a couple rounds of, "what was that, babe?" before truly absorbing what he has to say. Or, perhaps even worse, when we do spend one-on-one time together outside of the house, I'm still connected to my bridal duties via my iPhone. It seemed as though no time was sacred to just us - and the fault was all mine.

And don't get me wrong, Mr. S has done plenty his share of indulging my wedding fantasies and inputting marvelous ideas of his own, but when is enough enough? It seems as though I tested those boundaries. Perhaps when nearly every conversation is wedding-based, it's gone too far.

I'm going to be blatantly honest with you guys in admitting that, had the neglect continued, it had the potential to break us. We're a strong couple with awesome communication, but stepping outside of my wedding world to realize that what I was (or wasn't) doing was causing conflict, took a bit of time and serious introspection. Ultimately, all I had to do was let sink in that he felt I had let our relationship come secondary to our wedding, and I was cured. How could I go on planning a celebration of our marriage if there could possibly be no marriage?

I care much too much about Mr. Seal and our future together to let anything come between us, let alone the planning of the very day that's intended to inaugurate our happily-ever-after. So, I figured it out quick. At the expense of some heavier blogging, craft projects and sleep, I spent time talking to Mr. Seal - laughing and talking about us and mapping out our future. I'm figuring out how to manage my time better and feel much better prepared to take back on the endeavor of wedding planning and 'bee blogging WHILE nurturing my relationship with the handsome Mr. Seal.

So, here's my unsolicited PSA: being engaged is a magical, wonderful experience, but it's short-lived. The marriage part? That's forever. And with so many outside factors fighting to tear you and your partner apart, start off on the right foot - both of you. Together.

Have wedding plans ever threatened your relationship? How have you handled this?